


Hey Brother

by ToukoTai



Category: Red vs. Blue
Genre: Gen, Role Swap AU, freelancers as sim soldiers, reds and blues as freelancers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-02
Updated: 2016-01-02
Packaged: 2018-05-11 01:40:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,036
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5609038
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ToukoTai/pseuds/ToukoTai
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's a quiet day in Blood Gultch outpost Alpha, just like the day before and the day before that. Washington didn't sign up for this. He signed up to go make a difference, not play soldier in a canyon at the ass end of nowhere.</p>
<p>It's a quiet day...until the Freelancer Agents start showing up.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hey Brother

**Author's Note:**

> this is the [Soundtrack](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxIiPLVR6NA) mainly because I wrote it while listening to this forever ago.

It’s the first glimpse Washington has, that there’s something else _out there_. There’s something _more_.

It starts when the reds steal their flag and Tex is dead. More on that later. The Tex being dead part. The short version is: it’s all their new teammate’s fault. Maine is their newbie and while he’s probably a really good tank, he needs to not rampage indiscriminately. They are currently out numbered and without a real team leader.

So Carolina makes the executive decision to call for a Freelancer and they get Church. Church is sarcastic to a fault, wears cobalt armor and is a terrible shot, despite insisting that the sniper rifle is _his_ weapon. After a few wasted minutes of him showcasing his horrible aim, he swears and just flat out charges the Red base. Carolina, Wash and Maine just stand back watching as Church single-handed brings the reds to their knees and gets back their flag. Sometime in the middle of that, Tex’s ghost comes back to yell at them for hiring Church. Washington’s sure his life is someone’s idea of entertainment. Someone’s very weird, very fucked idea of entertainment.

And then things really take off and Washington doesn’t have the time to wonder about that. Church ends up getting killed(the red twins this time), Tex comes back, they meet Doc, Church comes back, and then all his Project Freelancer buddies start showing up.

First, there’s Agents Grif and Simmons, the team heavy and team tech specialists respectively. It takes a lot to get Grif really going but once he does, he’s virtually unstoppable. And Simmons is some kind of Cyborg, which means he’s really good with computers and communication arrays. Simmons had laughed himself sick watching York trying to crack a holo-lock.

Agent Caboose is their mechanic and pilot. And Agent Church’s Very Best Friend. He hates the twins on principle, and upgrades Church’s and Tex’s robotic bodies. For some reason he likes Washington, Wash likes to think it’s because he’s halfway decent with repairing vehicles.

The Sargent, ‘just call him Sarge, seriously’, is a nightmare in bright red armor. He’s ruthless, and fucking amazing with a shotgun. And for some reason, really has it out for Agent Grif. Agent Donut has the best aim and throwing arm outside of pro grifball Washington has ever seen. 'It’s all in the wrist.’ The Agent had said to him, as he casually lobbed a sticky halfway across the canyon to the red base.

“Fucking seriously?!” South screeched as she dove for cover.

“You know, we don’t actually try to kill each other, right?” Wash felt the need to point out.

“Oh, where’s the fun in that?” Wash had felt his blood run a little cold at the way Agent Donut had so casually said that, with a grin on his lips. The right side of Donut’s face had spiderweb shrapnel scars down the side. And Washington had to hold himself back from asking.

And then there was Agent Tucker. Agent Tucker, the hero ambassador of the war. Who had been pivotal to the Sanghelli defecting to supporting the UNSC. Who was the only known human to successfully wield the Sanghelli energy sword. Who’s alien son united a two races. That Agent Tucker. It turns out that Agent Tucker is all those things and really bad at flirting. Has a whole slew of horrible pick up lines and he and Agent Donut can’t be left alone together for the feedback loop of innuendos and pick up lines that generate.

And like Caboose, has fixated on Washington. Wash doesn’t question it, except once. When he grabs the front of Maine’s armor and hisses at the dome helmet 'why did they pick me? I can’t handle this?’ and then gets shoved into his locker for his troubles. Tucker is the one that finds him and lets him out, laughing the entire time. Tucker is also the one who starts taking a vested interest in training with Washington.

He makes Wash runs drills with him and some of the other Freelancers every morning. Forces him to get better at hand to hand by fighting him at every opportunity. Every. Opportunity. Washington starts jumping at random shadows and sudden movements from the corner of his eyes.

“Why are you doing this?” Wash asks him one day, while he’s doubled over trying to get his breath back. Tucker dumps half a water bottle on his head and Washington yelps, tries to twist away.

“We’re not going to be here forever Wash.” Tucker says instead. “There’s still a war going on.”

And that’s when it dawns on Washington. To the Freelancers, Blood Gulch is just one small stop along the way. The canyon that he’s spent pretty much his entire military career in, is just a pit stop for these agents. They’ve been kicking ass, destroying convvie and actually _doing shit_ during this war. While he’s just been cooling his heels in a box end canyon. They’re the elite of the elite, and okay, Wash might just be a little, tiny, bit star struck. But the whole reason he joined the military in the first place was to _do something_. And whatever he’s doing right now, in Blood Gulch, sure as hell ain’t it.

That’s why, at the end of it, when the meta(ohgodmainewhy) was taken care of, when the Freelancers were climbing into the pelican, getting ready to go anywhere but there, Tucker stops. He’s the last one getting on, he looks to the dead data unit on the floor of pelican and back to Washington.

“Looks like we’ve got a team vacancy.” He says and then holds out his hand to Washington. Behind him, Wash can hear Carolina yelling at the Twins and York trying to flirt with her. He knows she’ll be okay. The last Blue at Blood Gulch. There’s no way he can go back there. Not when the whole galaxy is being offered to him, in the curve of a palm. Everything he ever wanted, time to make a difference.

His hand grabs onto Tucker’s and he’s yanked into the pelican and slapped on the shoulder.

“Knew you had it in you.” Tucker whispers in his ear.

 

**Author's Note:**

> And they go off and have space marine adventures.  
> Oh Wash, always a blue.


End file.
